Re: Firewall confusion -- please assist

From: zippy (zippywonder_at_nospamearthlink.net)
Date: 09/07/04 

Date: Tue, 07 Sep 2004 14:13:20 GMT

Norton Firewall and Windows firewall are two different products. Do not run
both as you will more than likely have conflicts. I'm not fimaliar with
Norton, but I do know that Windows Firewall does not block outgoing traffic.
Meaning, if you should happen to have a trojan horse on your computer and it
was trying to phone home, Windows firewall would let it. I am not confident
with Windows Firewall. Yes, it is a small step made by Microsoft. But more
work needs to be done to refine the product.

Basically, you only want to allow access to the internet to programs that
you know need it. Internet Explorer needs it, your dialer (if on dial up)
needs it. There is a program called Generic Host process for windows32 that
needs connection, that one is a little tricky. But for instance, if Notepad
asked for permission to access the net, I would deny it because there is no
reason for it to access the internet. Usually what that means is you have a
trojan on your system that is masquarading as other programs. If you are
unsure about a program, deny it at first and see if anything is not working
that should be working. You can always go into Firewall and change settings
later on.
"Timothy Miller" <noname@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:413DBD0A.9080201@nospam.com...
> Greetings,
>
> I'm moderately experienced on another platform, but Windows is a new world
> for me.
>
> My newish Windows XP laptop shipped with a demo copy Norton Internet
> Security installed. I paid for the registration, which gives me access to
> periodic updates of virus data, trojan data, and so on.
>
> I haven't installed SP2 yet. Among other reasons, I can't get onto the
> damned internet lately, for reasons I don't understand. I probably changed
> a configuration, but I don't know which one.
>
> My question involves Norton Internet Security. This product seems to have
> two elements -- a complex firewall, and Virus Protection. The Norton
> firewall doesn't just open and close ports. It makes and enforces complex
> firewall rules, which I don't completely understand.
>
> Here's my question:
>
> Does Norton Internet Security set up a second, independent firewall,
> independent of Windows XP's native firewall?
>
> --or--
>
> Does Norton Internet Security merely assist the user in managing Windows
> XP's native firewall?
>
> If Norton Internet Security sets up a second, independent firewall, is
> this really necessary, particularly if SP2 is installed? It seems like a
> recipe for headache and confustion.
>
> If I know the answers to my questions, I'll probably be able to solve
> various headaches, which I won't bore you with.
>
> Have a nice day.
>
> Tim Miller
> 

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